DuPont Pushes for a 50%-Plus Renewable Plastics Line

Chemical giant DuPont said at a recent press conference that its performance plastics line will contain more than 50 percent renewable materials within 15 years. I'd heard an earlier, non-numerical statement of this push last year from Marsha Craig, global business director of DuPont's renewable materials group, so I decided to follow up with her.

The statement, made by Lewis Manring, DuPont's vice president of global technology for performance plastics and automotive technologies, was reported in an article in our sister publication Plastics Today. According to that article, Manring said the company's first preference is to use feedstocks derived from crops that aren't also used for food, and that it was looking at new ways to make monomers for basic plastics from carbon-based resources that can be regenerated quickly.

DuPont says its performance plastics line will contain more than 50 percent renewable materials within 15 years, and that these plastics must perform at least as well as the performance of the 100-percent petro-based polymers they replace. The renewable Zytel RS HTN is a high-performance nylon with higher tensile strength and tensile modulus than PC/ABS, giving it enough stiffness to prevent twisting and deformation in the thin, light, durable casings needed in mobile consumer electronics devices.

When I talked to Craig last year, she said her vision was eventually to convert the entire line of petro-based engineering plastics to renewables, as long as it was technically and economically feasible. This year, she told us, "Our goals for shifting our advanced materials to renewable versions have always been broad and far-reaching. Lewis Manring's recent statement is probably the first time we're being more specific. We continue to believe this is important to our customers and that it's possible to do." Within the last year, DuPont has made progress and invested in its priority renewable products.

By renewable DuPont means bio-based materials, said Craig.
"Sustainable" describes a larger category that includes bio-based and recycled materials, or those that are produced in some other sustainable way. These definitions are common in plastics, but they also apply to fuels, according to the company's website, where it's stated that DuPont Renewably Sourced Materials contain at least 20 percent renewably sourced ingredients by weight. As Craig said last year, these plastics must have performance at least as good as do the 100 percent petro-based polymers they replace.

Regarding the food-based crop issue, DuPont is not only focused on renewables. A shift to non-food-based plastics is at the top of its list. "All of our medium- to long-term research in engineering plastic feedstocks is based on the need to move to non-food-based sources," Craig said. That's a very strong statement from any materials maker. She also said the food-versus-fuel question is an important one that the industry must address, and that it will arise more often in some markets.

Two of the three renewable materials in DuPont's current performance plastics portfolio are already based on non-food feedstocks. Hytrel comes from plant waste and Zytel RS comes from the castor bean plant. This plant is not used for food, and grows on dry, poor-soil areas not suitable for growing food crops. Although Sorona is based on a corn sugar stream from animal feed corn that's not consumed by people, DuPont intends to shift this over time to a feedstock based on plant waste.

You're welcome, Dave. Yes, palm oil is associated with several problems: it's unhealthy to consume, and logging them causes a lot of environmental and economic problems. Which is one reason DuPont, and others, are working on multiple alternative feedstocks.

Ann, that's interesting about Evonik developing alternative feedstocks for nylon-12. Thanks for sharing the link. Of course, palm oil is not free from controversy, either. Environmentalists have been campaigning against palm oil, because of rainforests being destroyed to make way for palm plantations. But unless some kind of alternate feedstock for nylon-12 is developed, OEMs are going to be aprehensive about another supply chain disruption.

Dave, interesting question. No one at DuPont said anything about a connection with the nylon-12 shortage. As of last December, the shortage was officially over when Evonik went back online. But that's an interesting question you've raised. My understanding is that it's been a mix of some yes, some no, as far as shifting to a bioplastic version. Interestingly, the company whose plant had the fire, Evonik, has opened a plant to produce a renewable alternative to its nylon 12 monomer: http://corporate.evonik.com/en/media/press_releases/Pages/news-details.aspx?newsid=37328

Ann, did DuPont mention last year's nylon-12 shortage as a driving force in the adoption of bioplastics? You covered this in an excellent article at the time. It would be interesting to know if most of the OEM's went back to nylon-12 as soon as it became available again, or if any companies adopted bio-based alternatives on a permanent basis.

Being based on non-food feedstocks is now considered an essential characteristic of second-generation biochemicals that are being turned into biofuels and bioplastics: in fact, both non-food and those that don't compete with food plants for soil and water. This shift is several years old but has only been discussed in broad public forums more recently.

@Greg: I agree. As much as OEMs would like to be able to present a "green" image, they are unlikely to take a risk on a material that doesn't have equal or better properties than the incumbent material.

I'm also extremely glad to hear so much emphasis from DuPont on non-food sources. This is a moral and ethical issue, yet it wasn't even part of the discussion a few years ago.

It's also pretty amazing that any company, even DuPont, is capable of setting a 15-year goal. These days, most company's plans don't extend much past the next fiscal year. It will be interesting to see to what extent DuPont follows through on this commitment.

In addition to being green and using renewable resources, I also appreciate the goal of making these polymers "drop-in" replacements. This could significantly accelerate the adoption of these new polymers if the materials properties are the same.

You're welcome, Rob. To a certain extent, "what's good for business" depends on attitudes and customs, as well as practices, and also on long-term instead of short-term thinking. Ford's realization, for example, that it could save money several different ways by recycling materials is a good example.

Many of the new adhesives we're featuring in this slideshow are for use in automotive and other transportation applications. The rest of these new products are for a wide variety of applications including aviation, aerospace, electrical motors, electronics, industrial, and semiconductors.

A Columbia University team working on molecular-scale nano-robots with moving parts has run into wear-and-tear issues. They've become the first team to observe in detail and quantify this process, and are devising coping strategies by observing how living cells prevent aging.

Many of the new materials on display at MD&M West were developed to be strong, tough replacements for metal parts in different kinds of medical equipment: IV poles, connectors for medical devices, medical device trays, and torque-applying instruments for orthopedic surgery. Others are made for close contact with patients.

Focus on Fundamentals consists of 45-minute on-line classes that cover a host of technologies. You learn without leaving the comfort of your desk. All classes are taught by subject-matter experts and all are archived. So if you can't attend live, attend at your convenience.